This past Tuesday, 400 bochurim about to head out on Merkos Shlichus packed into the Jewish Children’s Museum for a “Yom Iyun,” a day of inspiration and learning.
The roving rabbis program, founded by the Rebbe in 1943, sends pairs of Yeshiva students to utilize their summer break visiting remote cities and villages throughout the world in the search of Jews, hoping to rekindle their Jewish spark, and connect them with their heritage.
Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice Chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch and director of Merkos Shlichus, opened the session with remarks about the merit the bochurim have in joining a program the Rebbe himself founded and directed. He also thanked the staff of the Merkos Shlichus office, for their months of planning.
A strong lineup of speakers engaged the students with practical advice and suggestion, interspersed with personal experiences and humorous anecdotes. The combination served to better ready the volunteers for the tough road ahead.
A video of the Rebbe was presented by JEM,
Rabbi Menachem Posner, a Merkos Shlichus veteran who runs the blog RovingRabbis.com, provided words of wisdom and encouragement.
“Never underestimate the power of a smile,” he says. “Try it. Even when speaking on the phone, a person will hear the smile, without even seeing you.”
“When you are out there, people do not see you as an individual; they see you as the Lubavitcher Rebbe,” said Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, Head Shliach of Thailand.
“When we received reports that people were unsatisfied with the quality of our restaurant’s food,” he related, “we immediately hired a professional chef. We realized that we were not only being judged by our Shiurim, but also by our food. “Now, everyone knows: Chabad now has the best shnitzel in Thailand.”
Rabbi Mendel Lipsker, of Sherman Oaks, CA, discussed the Halachos of Tefillin, Mezuzas and Kashrus. Questions on these topics arise daily for Shluchim. Rabbi Daniel Moscowitz, of Chicago, IL, relayed words from the Rebbe to impress upon the Bochurim the power and responsibility them posses.
Before brochures and materials were distributed, Mendy Margolin presented a quick course on the workings of the Merkos Shlichus site, and other technical areas.
Rabbi Kotlarsky concluded the event with some recollections of the Rebbe’s instructions to Merkos Shlichus, and the affinity the Rebbe has to the program.
“The Rebbe is mashgiach al kol tnuah utnuah,” he cried. “It is imperative that each and every moment of your day be conducted in a way that will make the Rebbe proud.”
love your sisterle
As I sat in my home, in my small town..the day before Passover there was a knock at my door. As I open, there was a young Lubavitcher bring me Matzoh and inviting me to a seder. I could not hold back my tears in front of him and the feeling he left me with that day was grateful for being a Jew and not being forgotten.
The genius behind the tech world of Shlichus… What an amazing asset to Chabad!!!!!!!!! AND the KING of merkos shlichus… Where is Mendy going for it!?
This is probably one of the coolest programs I’ve ever seen. (if you can say ‘cool’ on a program the Rebbe established;)
Good luck to them all, and I’m sure they will always know the right thing to say as the Rebbe is speaking through them.
Hatzlacha!
Schneur probably edited himself out of the article…
There are some that are already hustling from morning to night bringing the rebbe mikusharim,
I will mention two special Individulas 1. Lipa Benjaminson and 2. Yakov Sebag, who are in Panama already.
the shliach in rutgers
good luck to u too in morristown day camp! and for next year…
piniiiiiiii good luck!!!!!!!!!
i dont c anyone in the pix doing that
except for few:)
Costs nothing for the giver, of great value for the whom it is!
love ur sisterle
Your mouth area is a reflection of your intestinal condition. Eat more fresh, healthy foods and you will naturally smile without having to be told. A friendly effort will also be appreciated by anyone you meet in person, or speak with on the phone. Hatzlacha Raba!
Go Boruch Goldberg
Why is there no mention of the man that puts the whole thing together, including the yom iyun?
Schneur is the unsung hero of 788